The Real Thing
by songsofthestars
Summary: With a little help from Charlie and Hurley, Jack and Kate are finally together, but it doesn't mean an end to the usual mishaps of a relationship! Nobody ever said love was easy.
1. Confessions and Matchmaking

This fic is dedicated to all my fellow jate shippers at fanforum, for giving me the inspiration for this story! Chapter 1 takes place directly after What Kate Did. Enjoy!

Disclaimer- Not mine. I just borrow the characters to play with, I'll put them back when I'm done, so please don't sue me.

* * *

Charlie and Hurley slowly turned to each other, matching expressions of confusion on their faces.

"Am I the next in the line of crazy people seeing things that aren't actually there," Charlie began slowly, in his usual tactless way, "Or is Jack talking and drinking with the girl who just killed Shannon?" Hurley ignored his question, still distracted by the sight in front of him.

"Didn't you say he was just looking for Kate?" Hurley questioned, frowning.

"I think he found her. Don't think things went the way he intended."

"Why?"

"Because I just saw her with Sawyer."

"So?"

"And he was kissing her."

"Dude, you couldn't have told me that part first?"

"I'm trying to get the image out of my brain, Hurls, the last thing I want is to talk about it!"

"Point taken. Can we just go now? This is just too weird to watch."

"Sure. Wanna go try golfing again? I think we're getting better."

The two were nearing the golf course, chattering with one another, when they heard somebody run into the jungle after them.

"Charlie!"

They turned around, and saw Kate finish jogging over to them, an anxious expression on her face.

"Oh, hello, Kate. How's Sawyer?" He asked cheekily.

"What? Why do you-nevermind, he's fine. Listen, have you-"

"Just fine?"

"…Yeah."

"Because he seemed better than fine when I saw them."

"When did you see him?" She frowned, not remembering Charlie coming by the hatch since Sawyer woke up.

"Oh, around the time he was attempting to swallow your face."

"What!" Kate shrieked, ignoring Hurley, who had started snickering.

"Kate, if you want privacy with him, you should really just go in the hatch, because you can't expect to shove your tongue down his throat in the middle of the jungle and not have anybody see."

"I did not shove my tongue down his throat!"

"No need to embarrassed, Kate, I completely understand. Oh, hey, did Jack catch up with you, because he seemed pretty eager to find you earlier!" Charlie snapped, angry for Jack.

"Yes, he found me, that's why I'm here!"

"Wait, why are you here?"

"Something happened, and I really need to talk to him." She told them desperately.

"Oh…well, what happened?" Charlie asked gently, beginning to feel bad.

"It's kind of private."

"Well then, so are Jack's whereabouts," Hurley shrugged, pulling Charlie with him as he began to walk away.

"Fine!" She spat, through clenched teeth. "You two are really obnoxious when you want to be."

"We know," They said in unison, smiling.

"Now, tell Charlie and Hurley what's wrong," Charlie said, attempting to sound soothing.

"Well, Jack found me, and I got really upset about something. He was being really sweet to me, and…I kissed him," She finished quietly, averting her eyes, feeling uncomfortable sharing so much with Hurley and Charlie.

The boys, however, didn't seem to notice her discomfort, and they both gasped, leaning forward, their eyes widening eagerly.

"Go on!" Hurley pressed, as Charlie began to bounce up and done on the balls of his feet.

"Well, after we kissed, I just started thinking about everything too much, and I got kind of freaked out, and I ran away, and just left him standing there," She trailed off, still feeling bad about that.

"You ran away! Because you started thinking! That doesn't even make sense-"

"Dude, let her finish," Hurley interrupted.

"So, I went to the hatch, and Sawyer woke up."

Charlie and Hurley both groaned, and Kate gave them a surprised, somewhat amused look.

"No, no, not that he's awake!" Charlie told her quickly. "Just that it leads to that horrifying sight I stumbled upon in the jungle."

"Well, I showed him around the hatch, and took him outside. We talked for a while and then he kissed me." Seeing Charlie starting to glare at her again, Kate rushed to finish what she had been saying. "And you know what I felt?"

"Kate, if you give us details, my ears might start bleeding," Hurley informed her, trying to stop her from saying what he didn't really want to hear.

"I felt nothing."

"Nevermind."

"Well, not nothing, but it was just a nice kiss. That's all. I liked it, but that's all."

"And how did you feel when Jack kissed you?" Charlie prompted.

"I felt amazed," She told them quietly, after a moment of hesitation. "Confused. I felt happy, and a little mixed up. But you know what I felt more than anything?"

"What?" They asked at the same time.

"Loved," She answered, unable to control the smile spreading across her face. "I told Sawyer all of that and left to go try and find him, because I need to talk to him now. I need to make him understand, and I need to know if that kiss meant anything to him too, or if it was just me," She sighed. "Now will you tell me where he is?"

"Um…well, last we saw him…you know what, I forgot!" Hurley told her in a rush.

"Guys, you told me that if I let you know about something that's private, you'd tell me!"

"It's just…he's with Ana Lucia," Hurley muttered.

"What?" Kate whispered in shock, feeling like she'd just been punched.

"They were just talking!" Charlie said quickly, trying to make her feel better. "Well, and having a drink together, but that's only because apparently he promised her that he'd have one with her before we all got on the plane-" Hurley leaned over and punched Charlie in the shoulder, promptly shutting him up.

"I guess it really was just me," She mumbled.

"Kate, no, it wasn't!" Charlie said firmly, rubbing his arm. "We all see the way Jack looks at you, and he talks about you more than you can imagine. That other girl is just his friend. You are one of the only things here that makes him happy, he loves you."

"Really?" She asked softly, beginning to look hopeful.

"Absolutely," Hurley jumped in, nodding. "You probably hurt him when you ran off, but he'll forgive you. Just go get him!"

"Thanks guys," Kate told them, a wide grin spread across her face as she turned to walk back to the beach.

Hurley and Charlie watched her go, smiling at each other, until Hurley remembered something he wanted to ask.

"Kate!"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"What did Sawyer say after you told him all of that?"

She grinned and laughed for a moment at the memory.

"He said if I was able to resist his kiss, I was clearly a lost cause, so I should just go tell the doctor I need a physical."

"Hey, try that, it could work!" Charlie shouted, giving her a thumbs up.

Laughing once again, Kate turned and headed for the beach.

"Well, Hurls, I'd say that went well."

"Totally. We're good matchmakers, don't you think?"

"Oh, definitely."

* * *

Kate walked down the path to the beach, and took a quick scan of the area. She found Jack just as he stood up and began to walk away from Ana Lucia. She took a deep breath, and began to walk over.

"Jack!"

He turned around, and saw her coming towards him. Frowning, he turned and stalked off into the jungle. Kate sighed, but sped up to chase after him.

"Jack, will you just listen to me?" She begged, following him on the path back to the caves. He ignored her. "Jack, please stop!"

"No, Kate!" He snapped, whirling around to face her, a pained, angry expression on his face. "I think that it's my turn to walk away from you," He said, turning back around and beginning to walk away from her again.

"Then it's my turn not to let you," She said quietly, but fixedly, grabbing his arm tightly, forcing him to turn around and face her again.

"What do you want from me, Kate? You made your choice, I get that. There's no need to explain it to me."

"No, Jack, it's not what you think, and I do have a lot to explain to you."

"Like what, Kate? Sawyer pretty much spelled out what's going on between you two when he said he loves you, and you couldn't have made it any clearer when you ran away from me, straight to him," He said, no longer sounding angry, but hurt.

"You just assumed that because he says something while suffering from a fever of epic proportions it means I'm in love with him? Sorry to have to tell you this, but you're wrong. Sawyer's my friend, Jack. I don't want anything more than that from him. And I didn't run away from you to be with him."

"Then why?" He asked, already beginning to soften.

Kate let go of his arm, beginning to feel a little afraid of telling him all of this.

"I've been on my own for so long, Jack. I've gotten used to it, it's what I know. But…" Kate now looked down at her shoes, feeling his eyes resting on her. "When we kissed, it made me realize that I need you, like I have never needed anyone before. And that scares me. I want to be able to get past that, but then I think about if something horrible happened to you. I already can't even imagine it. If I let you in even closer, and then I lost you, I think I'd lose me too. That's why I felt like it was easier for me to run. Nut right now, I really want to stop running, for once in my life."

"Kate," He began, taking a step closer.

"Jack, you deserve so much better than me!" She exclaimed, finally looking up into his eyes. "I'm a mess, in every aspect. You're such an amazing person, and I feel like I would just drag you down-"

Jack never gave Kate the chance to finish, as he closed the distance between them, and brought his lips down to hers. Kate froze in shock for a moment, and then regained her senses, slowly running her hands up his chest, winding them around his neck. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body in closer to his, before slipping his hand under her shirt, his fingers gliding across her burning skin. When they finally pulled away, Kate was breathless, looking up at Jack with a bright smile.

"Kate…there is no one better than you," He said simply, honestly.

Kate just gently cupped his face and kissed him again. Both of them were too wrapped up in each other to notice their audience. Charlie and Hurley had quickly decided that making sure their matchmaking skills were as good as they thought was more important than golf, and had followed Kate. Seeing her and Jack passionately making out in the middle of the jungle made them both grin, as they turned and high fived each other. Everything was right again on the island.


	2. Work and Play

"So, have you all heard the latest on our resident island rabbits?" Charlie asked brightly, plopping down in the shaded sand.

"Rabbits?" Claire asked, glancing up from Aaron.

"Jack and Kate," Hurley explained from his seat.

"Um, still not sure I get it."

"Have you _seen_ them? And, you know, how there are so many rabbits because they constantly-" Charlie began, in what he assumed was a helpful manner.

"Okay, I get it!" Claire interrupted quickly, glancing down nervously at Aaron, wondering what Charlie talked about when he was alone with him.

"So, dude, what were you gonna tell us?"

"According to people who have walked in on them in the hatch, our favorite couple has been getting pretty hot and heavy lately," Charlie said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Way to go, Jack!" Hurley cheered, slapping hands with Charlie.

"Why do you two care so much?" Claire frowned, confused, still looking at Aaron. When she didn't hear either of them answer, she glanced up, and saw them staring at her. "What?"

"How do you _not_ care?" Hurley said, sounding bewildered, as Charlie continued to stare blankly.

"It's just…I'm glad they're happy, but it's their lives, not ours," She shrugged, clearly forgetting that using reason with Charlie and Hurley would do you no good.

"Claire, Hurley and I view their relationship as a project of ours. Have you forgotten the story of how Hurley and I brought them together?"

"Well, Charlie, it didn't really sound like you brought them together, it sounded like you gave her the push she-"

"_Have you forgotten the story of how Hurley and I brought them together?"_

"Sorry, I guess I did forget. Congratulations, good job guys," She told them sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"We know," They said proudly.

Claire looked at them both incredulously for a moment, and then burst out giggling at the accomplished looks on their face, and how incredibly oblivious they were towards her sarcasm.

"What? What's so funny?" Charlie asked, smiling.

"Nothing. Come on, Aaron, let's go for a walk."

"Claire! Seriously, what's so funny?" Hurley shouted after her. She just kept walking.

"Claire!" Charlie called. "Claire! Okay, I'll catch up with you and Aaron later!"

"And she calls _us_ weird," Hurley snorted.

"Seriously."

* * *

Down in the hatch, said rabbits were doing what had gotten them their nickname in the first place. Jack was sitting on the couch, and Kate was straddling him with her knees as they kissed. She slowly moved her hands from around his neck to his chest, and pushed him back on the couch, as Jack gently pulled her down with him, bring her to lie on him. He slid his hand up her back and into her hair, as Kate gently slid her tongue into his mouth.

"Ahem."

Jack and Kate immediately sprang apart, breathing heavily, tugging at their clothing. They saw Locke and Michael standing there. Michael looked a little bit amused, and Locke looked like he was in shock.

"Where did you say that board game might be, Jack?" She asked loudly, trying not to sound embarrassed.

"Oh, um, I was saying I thought it might be…over there," He finished lamely, pointing to a random room.

"We just came here to relieve you two, since it's been six hours," Said Michael. Locke remained silent, looking away from the two.

"Oh, the time just flew by!" Jack told them, helping Kate up.

"So it seems," Michael snickered.

Once they said their good byes to the two men, and were safely outside the hatch, they both collapsed into hysterical laughter.

"You'd think we'd hear them coming by now," Jack managed to say between laughs.

"I think we just scarred Locke for life!" Kate panted, trying to catch her breath.

They both managed to calm down for a second, before remembering the look on Locke's face when he saw them, and bursting out laughing again. Kate turned and buried her head in Jack's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her hand.

"You'd think it'd be easy to find some privacy on an island," Jack commented when they were both finally able to stop laughing.

"Maybe on other islands, with no polar bears, monsters, and horses, but here? Very doubtful," She joked, pulling back to look up at him.

"Horses?"

"I didn't tell you about the horse?"

Jack shook his head no, and Kate pulled him over to a fallen log nearby. He sat down, and pulled her into his lap, once again wrapping his arms around her waist when she leaned back against his chest.

"The day of Shannon's funeral, I saw this beautiful black horse in the jungle. I assumed that there wouldn't be a horse in the jungle, so I must be going crazy, but then Sawyer saw it too," Kate told him, before suddenly feeling him go tense. She turned her head back and just gave him a look. "Jack, who did I just spend six hours with?"

"I know, I know. He just makes me feel so…"

"Don't let him, there's no reason" Kate said, not letting him finish the sentence. He smiled, and she kissed him softly, before continuing. "But the really weird thing is, I think I've seen that horse before."

"Where?" He asked immediately, erasing Kate's fear that he'd say she was imagining things.

"The night the Marshall first found me," She said quietly. "The horse made him crash the car and it's how I got away."

"Oh…wow" Jack commented, not really sure what else to say.

"Jack? Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me?"

"That I'm a criminal. That you don't even know what I did."

"No," He told her honestly. "I know you, Kate, and I know you're a good person. An amazing person, actually. And you were willing to tell me what you'd done when you barely even knew me. That proved to me that I didn't need to know."

Kate stared into his eyes, completely amazed. She had never expected to find anyone who would accept her, and her past, let alone someone she cared about as much Jack. He smiled at her, and slid his finger under her chin, tilting her head up, bringing his lips to hers. Just as the kiss deepened, they heard a startled gasp. Pulling apart slightly, they saw Sun standing in the clearing, where she had been gathering seeds.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't think anyone else was here! I'll, ah, I'll just go!"

She left in a hurry, and Jack and Kate promptly burst out laughing again.

* * *

"Hey! Charlie, right?" Charlie looked up from his guitar and bit back a groan upon seeing Ana Lucia standing in front of him, settling for exchanging a look with Hurley. "Have you seen Jack?"

"Oh, actually, I have," Charlie smirked.

"Where is he?"

"He's with Kate."

"With _Kate."_ Hurley emphasized. Claire, who was sitting with them, smiled in spite of herself.

"Why?"

"Well, if we have to tell you what the doc is doing with her, I'm not sure you're old enough to hear," Sawyer commented, walking up behind Ana.

"I see you're better. Isn't that great?" She smiled sarcastically, and walked off.

"I didn't know you were so supportive of Jack and Kate, Sawyer," Claire said, giving him a friendly smile.

"Wouldn't go that far, but let's put it this way, mamacita. Anything that makes the bitch miserable is something I'm willing to deal with."

"I don't think she's that bad."

"You don't think _anyone_ is that bad, Claire," Charlie pointed out.

"You clearly haven't read my diary since I've been back," She said playfully, making them all laugh.

"Oh, hey, there's Jack and Kate," Hurley told them suddenly, pointing to them coming out of the jungle, holding hands, both wearing a backpack. They stopped to kiss, and Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"I don't know how they expect to deliver water if they keep doing that," He grumbled, plopping down next to Claire, who patted his leg sympathetically. Charlie glared at that, and looked back over at Jack and Kate to distract himself.

"Woo hoo! Look at the lovebirds!" He called, sending them a grin so they'd know he was just kidding. They laughed, and walked over to their group.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Jack asked.

"Another day on this lovely island, what more could you ask for?" Charlie joked.

"Well, we could ask if you guys are willing to pass out these waters?" Kate said, giving them a pleading look. "We have a shift at the hatch to get to."

"Sure, the guys will do it," Claire smiled.

"What about you?" Hurley demanded.

"I'm holding Aaron!" Claire defended.

"I think I need to talk to the little tyke so he doesn't start crying," Sawyer injected quickly, speaking for the first time since Jack and Kate had walked over.

"So it's just me and Charlie!"

"This is the thanks we get for putting you two together?" Charlie asked Jack and Kate, in an insulted tone of voice.

"Hey, I would have eventually made a move!" Kate exclaimed.

"Are you implying that I wouldn't have?" Jack asked her.

"Of course you wouldn't have, you coward," She teased.

"Oh, I'll teach you who's a coward here!"

Kate took off running towards the jungle, and Jack chased after her, pausing only to shout Charlie and Hurley a thank you.

"They really do make a cute couple," Charlie observed, watching as Jack grabbed Kate and twirled her around, as she started shrieking.

"Hey, slackers, get to work!" Sawyer snapped, beginning to mutter about Jack.

Claire watched Charlie and Hurley begin to bicker over who would give whom their water, and Sawyer start ranting to Aaron, and once again couldn't help bursting into giggles.

* * *

"So, we're all alone for six hours," Kate began flirtatiously. "And I can't think of a single thing we could do to occupy the time."

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Jack winked.

"A few?"

"Well, maybe just one."

"What might that be?"

Jack decided to show, rather than tell her, and pressed her up against the wall, kissing her passionately. Kate smiled against his lips for a moment, before kissing him back. This time, they were so unaware of anyone but each other, they never saw Claire enter, hear her startled squeak, or see her run out of the hatch.

Sawyer, who had been waiting outside with Aaron for Claire to get her son's cleaned diapers (also known as cut up pieces of an airline blanket), looked at her in surprise.

"What happened? Not clean?"

"They really are rabbits," she muttered, not even hearing Sawyer.

* * *

"Dude, this feels weird."

"Claire is determined to avoid more awkward situations," Charlie sighed.

As soon as they were done with the water, she had asked that they keep people from going in the hatch for now. Because (despite the fact that neither boy was dating her, and one didn't even want to) they were both whipped, they had agreed. They reached the hatch door, and glanced at each other, unsure of what to do next, finally settling for just standing there. 10 minutes later, Libby walked over, headed for the door.

"You can't go in there!" Hurley quickly blurted out.

"Why not?"

"Believe us, you don't want to," Charlie informed her.

Libby stared at them both for a minute in confusion, and then gave up and walked away.

"They really owe us," Charlie muttered.

"How long until they're done?"

"About five more hours. Why?"

"As soon as they're done, we're going in there and making them a do not disturb sign."


	3. Sick Day

Thanks to all reviewers! Your feedback is _highly_ appreciated. Also, I adore Sayid, so I promise that he'll show up eventually 

* * *

"Jack?" Kate asked quietly.

She had walked over to the caves as soon as she woke up to see Jack, and discovered him sitting down by all of his belongings, leaning against the cave wall, with his eyes shut. Jack was nomally up, being all docterly and heroic as usual by now, so seeing him take a break was quite off putting.

"Jack, are you okay?" She tried again.

His eyes suddenly jerked open, causing Kate to shriek and jump backwards, promptly tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground. She sat in a surprised silence for a moment, before laughing at her clumsiness, and pulling herself up.

"Good morning to you too," She smiled.

Kate walked back over to him and leaned in for a kiss, but Jack turned his head, and went in to hug her instead.

"Are you afraid I've suddenly developed cooties overnight?" Kate asked, getting a chuckle from Jack.

"Not exactly. I think I'm getting a cold, the last thing I want is to spread it to you."

"You'll just have to make it up to me later," She said playfully.

"You can count-" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before his body was taken over by a coughing fit.

Kate gently rubbed his back, her concern for him growing. He finally finished, and straightened up, giving her a thankful look.

"Jack, have you been sleeping?"

"Of course I've been sleeping, I have to save my energy for when I'm with you."

"Sweet, but not throwing me off the trail. Have you been getting a _full night_ of sleep?"

"Well…"

"Jack!" She sighed in exasperation.

"I've been trying harder than I used to!"

"No wonder you're getting a cold, you try so hard to take care of everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself," She said sadly, before perking up. "But that's what I'm here for! Now, lie down."

"Kate, I love that you want to help me, but I'm fine, and I have to go check on everyone."

"You are _not_ fine, and I can do whatever you need to. Lie down."

"I don't want to force that on you."

"It's not forcing it on me if I offered. Really, lie down."

"Kate, it's not that bad, I took some medicine, and I'll get better by the end of the day."

"You'll never get better if you don't rest, and it's much easier if you do it by choice, because after what happened last time, you'll be expecting me to drug you, making it much harder for me to do. Also, you were right, I really shouldn't be kissing someone who's sick, so if you don't rest and get better…" She trailed off.

"That's just not playing fair," He groaned, already starting to finally lie down.

"All's fair in love and war," She grinned.

He smiled at her in amusement, before nestling down into his bedding.

"Wake me up if anything happens, okay?"

"I will. Now sleep," She whispered, lightly kissing his forehead.

Jack reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, before completely succumbing to sleep. Kate stood up, to go check on everyon eat the caves like Jack normally would, but stopped to give him one last look, a soft smile lingering on her lips at the sight. Sometimes, even the best doctor needed a little TLC.

* * *

When Jack woke up, the first thing he saw was Charlie and Hurley, sitting down near him, talking quietly with each other. He frowned, confused. This was _such_ a step down from waking up and seeing Kate.

"Hey, guys."

They both startled, whipping their heads around, quickly relaxing when they saw him.

"Oh, hello Jack," Charlie smiled pleasantly. "We've been appointed to be your babysitters for the day. I have to say, you're a step up from Aaron, no dirty diapers to change here."

"And you don't need us to feed you, lull you to sleep, or calm you down if you start crying, right?" Hurley joked. Jack just rolled his eyes.

"Where's Kate? And, she actually asked you to babysit me?"

"First of all, it's sweet. She was just worried about you, and wanted to make sure you had somebody here. You should also feel flattered, we wouldn't do this for just anyone. Seondly, she's doing the rounds here at the caves, the whole helping the helpless act you usually do, as she is designated leader number 2," Charlie informed him.

"I should go give her a hand now."

"Sorry dude, no can do."

"What do you mean 'No can do'?"

"I am under strict orders by Kate to sit on you if that's what it takes to get you stay in here and rest more. I don't really want to do that anymore than you want me to, but between you and me, Kate scares me a little sometimes. I mean, she's great when she's just relaxed and taking it easy, but when she's mad...let's just say she's forceful for someone so small. I'm not willing to get her mad at me."

"Hurley, I really do feel better."

"Good for you, mate, but if Kate sees you out of bed already, she'll hunt us down like dogs in the street," Charlie put in.

"Are you afraid of her?" Jack asked slowly, beginning to find this whole situation funny.

"Yes," They said in unison, completely unashamed of it.

"It's really easier on us all if you just sleep some more," Hurley said.

"And, there's a bright side to sleeping!" Charlie started, suddenly getting an idea. "You get to dream about Kate more."

"What!" Jack creid, his eyes going wide.

"You were talking in your sleep. Your subconcious is a _very_ naughty place."

Jack turned bright red, feeling completely mortified.

"Now, if you just lie back down without giving us any trouble, we could be persuaded to not tell anyone about this," Hurley told him casually, taking Charlie's idea and running with it.

"You're blackmailing me?"

"…Yeah, pretty much."

"Now, be a good boy and lie back down so Kate doesn't hurt us," Said Charlie, motioning for him to lie down.

"If I start talking in my sleep again, just-"

"Jack, if you start talking about Kate again in your sleep, I will have no problem kicking you."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

The next time Jack woke up, later that afternoon, he was greeted with the sight of Kate smiling at him, exactly the thing he'd been hoping for last time.

"Hey. Feel better?"

"A little."

He held his arms out to her and she walked over to him, slipping into his embrace as he kissed her.

"Now?" She asked.

"Now, I feel a lot better," He smiled.

"This is why you need to just listen to me right away, instead of forcing me to wear you down," She commented, snuggling tighter up against him.

Jack was about to reply, when Elizabeth, one of the teenagers on the island, walked over timidly.

"Excuse me, Jack?"

"Hi, Elizabeth. What can I do for you?"

"I cut my arm when I was out in the jungle, my mom told me I should come show you," She rolled up her sleeve, wincing slightly, until enough was pulled up to reveal a bloody gash on her arm.

"Ouch,"Kate murmured sympathetically. "What happened?"

"I just forgot to push this one branch out of the way, and it was one of those trees that's really pointy at the end."

"I don't think it needs stitches, so I'm going to disinfect it, and wrap your arm up," Jack told her, giving her a warm smile as he stood up.

"Do I get to be your nurse?" Kate asked, smiling.

"There's no one else I want for the job."

"There better not be!"

"You two are _finally_ dating?"Elizabeth asked quickly, sounding excited.

"Yeah, actually," Kate answered, a bit surprised. "How did you know?"

"I can just tell. You know, we've all been expecting this from day one."

"You have?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course! Charlie and Hurley were even taking bets at one point- ooh! That reminds me, Hurley now owes me 2,000 dollars when we got off the island."

Jack and Kate looked at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Why hadn't anybody just told them? It would have saved them so much time!

"Ready for me to clean your cut?" Jack asked her, once he and Kate calmed down.Elizabeth nodded. "Kate, could you grab the bottle of disinfectant from my backback? It's in the front pocket."

"Sure."

She walked towards the back of the cave, where his backpack was, and crouched down by it, unzipping the front pocket. She dug her hand in, not looking, and accidentally pulled out something else along with the bottle. She frowned and opened her hand to see what the other object was, and gasped, suddenly feeling like she was going to be sick.

It was a wedding ring.


	4. Talking It Over

Thanks for the reviews, everyone:) Oh, and yes, I did get the idea of Kate finding his ring before Jack told Sun his was at home, so I'm going a bit AU with that.

* * *

Kate walked onto the beach, breathing erratically, trying to think straight. She had quickly given Jack what he needed and asked to take a raincheck on being his nurse, telling him she'd suddenly remembered something she had to do. He'd seemed confused, but told her that was fine, and Kate had taken off running, desperate to find someone to talk to.

She gave the area a quick scan, and saw Charlie, Hurley, and Claire sitting nearby. She briefly tried to think of a way to get Claire by herself, but couldn't think of one, and sighed, resigned to having Charlie and Hurley there as usual.

"Is _this_ what I think it is?" Kate demanded as she walked over, wasting no time with pleasantries before whipping out the ring.

"Oh my god," Claire said softly, immediately understanding.

"Wow…" Charlie echoed.

"I know," Kate said miserably.

"You're going to ask Jack to marry you!" Charlie shouted excitedly, jumping up, his eyes wide.

"She's gonna _what!"_ Hurley cried, grinning.

"No, I'm not asking Jack to marry me!" She snapped in exasperation.

"…_He's_ going to ask _you_!"

"No, Charlie! I found it in his bag, read the engraving!"

She threw it at him, harder than necessary, and he caught it, shooting her a quick glare. Claire set Aaron in his crib, and joined Hurley as he leaned over Charlie's shoulder, and they all read it.

"Who's Sarah?" Hurley asked, confused.

"Exactly!" Kate hissed. "Who is she? Why does this ring have an engraving from her that says Jack has her eternal love? Why does he even _have_ a wedding ring!"

"I can't believe he's _married_," Claire said, still in shock.

"Yeah, came as a bit of a shock to me too," Kate muttered, trying to focus on her anger instead of her pain, not willing to let it in.

"It's definitely a wedding band?" Hurley asked.

"It definitely is," Charlie told him, examining it. "It looks a bit like the one my mother has, actually. I guess this makes Jack my island father." He looked up, and saw Kate giving him a look that could kill. "Apparently this isn't the time for jokes."

"No, it's not the time for jokes! Oh my god, what if he has kids? I could be his…mistress!" She spat, feeling sickened at the thought of her relationship with the Jack, the one thing she had that she thought was pure and good, being wrong and cheap, like so many other things in her life.

"Well, you'd only be his _island_ mistress, which isn't actually that bad, because I think his wife would understand that a man is going to have needs. And he thought he would never see her again, and the kids don't ever have to find out about you… you're gonna kill me in my sleep, aren't you?" Hurley asked, wincing at his own stupidity.

"Just, stop talking!" Claire ordered, pointing her finger at both him and Charlie, sounding like a mother admonishing her children. "Kate, have you asked him about it?"

"Well, no. He…was busy." Her response was the three of them just staring at her. "What was I supposed to say? 'Here's the stuff you asked for, by the way, why didn't you tell me you were married?' "

"If you have to, yes!" Hurley told her firmly, glancing at Claire to make sure he hadn't said the wrong thing again.

"Yeah, I'll just go do that," She snorted.

"No, he's right," Charlie backed Hurley up.

"What?"

"You have to at least ask him about it!" Said Hurley. "Maybe there's something you don't know about the situation."

"Maybe she's dead," Charlie put in, prompting slightly horrified looks from the others. "Not that I'm saying it's a good thing, or that I'm hoping for it!" He cried, defensively. "But maybe she is-oh, maybe she died in the crash, and…I'll just stop talking now," He trailed off, realizing how bad he sounded.

"Seriously, Kate, just talk to him," Claire said gently.

Kate nodded, giving them all a very small, thankful smile.

"I should have just done that in the first place, huh?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," They said in chorus.

"Thanks, guys. I'm gonna go find him."

"Good luck!" Hurley waved her off.

"What would these people do without us?" Charlie asked brightly, wrapping his arms around Hurley and Claire's shoulders.

"Dude, I don't know."

"So, do you think she'll come back to tell us how it went, or do we have to follow her again?"

Claire just shook her head.

* * *

Kate walked over to the cave, where Jack was putting away his medical supplies, and took a deep breath.

"Jack? Can I talk to you?" She asked softly, walking up behind him.

'_Just stay calm, just ask him what's going on.'_

"Of course. Is everything okay?" He asked warmly, as he turned around.

A few hours ago, Kate would have that he was being sweet to her because he cared. Right now, Kate had to wonder he was being sweet because he knew how she felt about him, and thought it couldn't hurt to play along with her until he got his wife back. Being forced to question him like that made her snap, and all thoughts of remaining calm flew out of her head.

"YOU'RE _MARRIED!" _She exploded, pulling the ring out, throwing it at his feet. A few people walking around the caves stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. Kate glared at them all, and they promptly looked away.

Jack was momentarily stunned, as he picked up the ring, looked back at Kate, who looked absolutely furious, and realized what she was thinking.

"Oh god…Kate, this isn't what you think."

"What, it's a friendship ring cleverly disguised as a wedding band?"

"No, it is a wedding band-"

"Then what about this am I not understanding!"

"Kate, please just calm down, and-"

"Calm down!" Kate felt the tears she'd been trying so hard to fight sting her eyes, and begin to fall. "How do you expect me to be calm after finding out that the man I'm in love with is married to another woman?" She choked out. Jack was now watching her with a look that was a mixture of love and pain. He moved to step closer and comfort her, but she stepped back. "_Don't,"_ She told him firmly, angrily swiping at her eyes. "Just explain whatever it is that you insist I'm not getting."

"Okay," He said quietly, looking slightly pained. "I _was_ married, but I'm not anymore. We got a divorce."

"Who was she?" Kate asked, feeling a bit better upon hearing that, and also curious about the woman who had apparently been lucky enough to have Jack fall in love with her.

"We met because she was a patient of mine. I saved her life after she was in a car accident. Actually, everyone thought she was going to be paralyzed, and I was sure the surgery failed, but somehow, it worked. I still don't know how. Her fiancee left her, and the day she was released, she asked me out to dinner. Things just progressed from there, and after we'd been together for a while, we got married." Kate looked away from him sadly, and Jack had to resist the urge to close the distance between them and hold her.

"What happened? Why did you get a divorce?"

"Well, we started the married life, and just realized we weren't in love, and we weren't right for each other. She told me that she married me because of hero worship, and I figured out that I married her because I felt obligated to. We were both lonely, and we wanted to love each other, but we just didn't, and we couldn't make it work." Kate finally looked back at him, beginning to feel better about the situation, now that she knew she wasn't just his side project.

"Why do you still have the ring if you don't love her?"

"You know I have a hard time letting things go. I couldn't stop thinking about how I could have made things work, or if I should have just said no the first time she asked me, and just… every other 'what if' you can think of. I couldn't get rid of the ring, it would have meant accepting what happened and moving on, and I wasn't ready for that before the crash." Kate held back a smile, understanding what he meant by that.

"Jack, why didn't you just tell me that you had been married, if she meant so much to you at one point? I thought we could be completely honest with each other."

"Kate, I didn't tell you, because I haven't given her a single thought ever since the moment I met you," He said honestly.

Kate finally broke, and smiled, crossing over to Jack and wrapping her arms around, resting her head on his chest. He slipped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him even tighter.

"Can I ask _you_ something now?"

"Sure," She smiled, pulling back slightly to look at him.

"Why didn't you just ask me as soon as you found it? Did you actually think that I ever would have started this if I was married," He asked, finally letting it show how hurt he was by her accusations.

"Jack, I just…" She trailed off, her body tensing as she began to pull back from him.

"No, don't run away, just talk to me," He said firmly, refusing to loosen his grip. She sighed, and briefly looked away from him, before bringing her eyes back to meet his, taking a deep breath.

"Whenever I've had something good in my life, it always turned out badly, and just got ruined in the end. This, what we have, is _the_ best thing that has ever happened to me, so it makes me feel like I should constantly be prepared for something to go wrong, so I don't have to be surprised again."

"Oh, Kate…I can promise you that it won't happen with us," Jack told her, brushing her hair back.

"You can't _promise_ it, that's-"

"Yes, I can."

"Oh, really?" She smirked. "How?"

"Because I just feel it. Because I love you too."

The smirk disappeared from Kate's face, and slowly turned into a grin. She pulled Jack down to her and kissed him deeply, her heart pounding.

"You caught that, huh?" She breathed once they pulled apart, referring to her mentioning that she loved him mid rant

"You actually thought I wouldn't?"

"Well, I was hoping you would, but you can never be sure with men."

Jack chuckled, and kissed her again. Life was good.

* * *

"Did you know that Jack is married?" Elizabeth asked, passing by Charlie and Hurley.

"Yeah, but how did _you_ know?" Hurley asked.

"I was at the caves, and I heard her screaming at him. I thought they were dating!"

"They are!" Charlie insisted. "Why would you say they're not?"

"It just didn't sound like it anymore," She shrugged.

Charlie and Hurley slowly turned to each other, terrified expressions on their face, and then both jumped off, running towards the cave without even giving Elizabeth a good bye.

"So what if he's married! That's no reason to break up! They're not that stupid, right? Hurls? Are you listening!" Charlie shouted while they were sprinting through the jungle.

"Dude, can't…talk…now," Hurley panted.

Charlie shut up, and they reached their destination quickly. They scanned the area for Jack and Kate, and quickly found them.

"What the hell?" Hurley muttered, between gasps of breaths.

Kate was sitting in Jack's lap inside one of the caves, and they were talking quietly, stopping occasionally to kiss. They looked like the direct opposite of a couple who had just broken up.

"Well…I guess she just lost her temper, but then remembered our advice," Charlie shrugged.

"That has to be it," Hurley nodded.

They watched the two for another minute, happy for their friends, before turning to talk a walk back to the beach.

"Thank God," Charlie muttered.

"What?"

"Can you imagine how bad things could have gotten if they broke up? Kate might have tried to convince herself that she wanted Sawyer, Jack would have been jealous for a while before searching for female companionship elsewhere, and they'd both be completely miserable, and it would have sucked."

"Jack and Kate with other people? I don't even wanna think about that," Hurley grimaced.

"Believe me, I don't either, which is why we prevent it."

"They're lucky to have us."

Charlie highly agreed.


End file.
